Allan McGregor to start for Rangers against Napoli as Alfredo Morelos return hint given

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Allan McGregor will start in goal against Napoli in tomorrow's Champions League group clash as Rangers seek to get their season back on track.

It won’t get any easier against the current Serie A leaders after back-to-back 4-0 defeats against Celtic and Ajax.

Van Bronckhorst has revealed he has been forced into making one change after McLaughlin’s failure to recover from an injury picked up in the Netherlands last week.

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The Ibrox manager also hinted that Alfredo Morelos, who last started a game against Dundee in March, has given him a decision to make before naming his team to take on the in-form Italians.

Allan McGregor will start in goals for Rangers against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)Allan McGregor will start in goals for Rangers against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)
Allan McGregor will start in goals for Rangers against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Morelos has been trying to find his fitness after injury but Van Bronckhorst has so far been reluctant to play him from the start. The manager even went so far as to take him aside for a conversation about his attitude after a red card against Hibs last month. He sat out both legs against PSV Eindhoven in a Champions League play-off tie last month and was an unused substitute against Ajax.

“He’s definitely better than a couple of weeks ago, both mentally and physically,” said Van Bronckhorst. “He is training really well. I had a good conversation with him.

“Not being involved against PSV was, I think, a big wake-up call. After that, he has done really well. He is in a far better place than in the last couple of weeks. He makes it difficult for me now to decide who to start.”

There is no decision to make over the goalkeeper. McLaughlin, who has been under fire after losing eight goals in two games, will sit out with an unspecified injury. It means a return for McGregor, who has started only one game this season – against Queen of the South in the Premier Sports Cup. Van Bronckhorst backed the 40-year-old, who was considering retiring at the end of last season.

"Jon is not available, he picked up an injury in the last game so we will not be involved,” explained Van Bronckhorst.

“Of course, it is different for Allan. He is not starting the games from the beginning so that is different for him.

“He is still the same in training. He is still the same person and I have every faith in him when he plays tomorrow because of the experience he has and he will be fine tomorrow. I have no doubt in my mind he will perform tomorrow.”

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Skipper James Tavenier is also in line to start at full-back after recovering from the injury that saw him replaced at half-time against Ajax.

"He’s definitely better than last week because all the games we played in a row did not help his physique," said Van Bronckhorst. "The one week break for Tav is really welcome because it meant he could recover more days than normally.

"He is an important player. You can see the quality he brings to the team. It’s all there to see. He will be much better physically than (when) he played against Ajax."

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